Muse

any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified by the Romans with the Camenae.

any goddess presiding over a particular art.

2.

(sometimes lowercase) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.

muse1

when intr, often foll by on or about. to reflect (about) or ponder (on), usually in silence

2.

(intransitive) to gaze thoughtfully

noun

3.

(archaic) a state of abstraction

Derived Forms

muser, nounmuseful, adjectivemusefully, adverb

Word Origin

C14: from Old French muser, perhaps from mus snout, from Medieval Latin mūsus

muse2

/mjuːz/

noun

1.

a goddess that inspires a creative artist, esp a poet

Word Origin

C14: from Old French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Mousa a Muse

Muse

/mjuːz/

noun

1.

(Greek myth) any of nine sister goddesses, each of whom was regarded as the protectress of a different art or science. Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the nine are Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania

muse

v.

"to reflect, to be absorbed in thought," mid-14c., from Old French muser (12c.) "to ponder, dream, wonder; loiter, waste time," literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to sniff about" like a dog who has lost the scent), from muse "muzzle," from Gallo-Romance *musa "snout," of unknown origin. Probably influenced in sense by muse (n.). Related: Mused; musing.